There was nothing new with the effort Tom Crean saw from his Indiana University basketball team on Tuesday night.

What was different in one of basketball's most storied arenas was the result: IU built a lead that it didn't relinquish, defeating Big East bully Pittsburgh 74-64 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

"Our guys, the way they work, the way they compete, I think everybody got a chance to see that," Crean opened his postgame news conference. "More than anything else, they needed something to go right for them. They needed a signature win for themselves."

They got one, after multiple disappointments a year ago with a thrown-together roster and a few already this season despite more talented players, with blown leads in all four losses.

But unlike in setbacks to Mississippi, Boston University, George Mason and Maryland, the Hoosiers (4-4) dug deep against Pitt (7-2) as ESPN analyst Bob Knight looked on from the stands, the first time he has seen IU play since he was fired in 2000 — "It's always good to have basketball royalty in the building," Crean said.

Knight saw an IU team that played efficiently (with a season-low 12 turnovers), took the ball to the basket (drawing 24 fouls and hitting 25 of 34 free throws), defended vigorously (seven steals, 10 blocked shots, 31.9 percent shooting by Pitt) and shared the ball (14 assists on 24 baskets).

IU didn't shoot exceptionally, hitting 24 of 54 (44.4 percent) including 1 of 7 on 3-pointers, but competed on the boards with a physical team, losing only 43-39.

Verdell Jones III (20 points) and Christian Watford (18) were the only IU players in double figures, but Maurice Creek had eight rebounds and four assists, Derek Elston five rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes, and Devan Dumes hit a big 3-pointer to stretch the second-half advantage.

And while Pitt closed an 18-point deficit with 2:59 to play down to six, IU responded in the final minute.

"We were so close in so many games, and for us to get a win feels great," said Jones. "Our hard work is starting to pay off. For our team to get a win against an elite team like this will motivate us to keep working and getting better."

But there is no resting on laurels. IU returns to action Saturday, when rival and No. 4-ranked Kentucky visits Assembly Hall in Bloomington. If UK coach John Calipari needed something to get his team's attention for this game, IU's win over Pitt did the trick.

But if nothing else, the Hoosiers can approach UK and the upcoming Big Ten season with the confidence that comes with a win.

"This was great," Crean said. "There was a lot of hugging going on in the locker room. The bottom line is that they (the players) really earned it. It gnaws at you as a coach, as a leader or as a parental figure when your guys are working so hard and you want them to have success. I called my wife after the game and that's the first thing she said, 'It's so great for them, they earned it.' That's what we all feel."